Killer
by Peanut Butter Rules
Summary: He had to save his sister... So they ran. (AU and I don't own RoTG){And yes, there are guardians} [poll on profile]
1. Murder!

**I wrote this a long time ago and just decided to post it today. I know it's not that good. **

**oh well... **

**And just as warning to readers: If you do Not like stories involving Jack's past, do not read since...well...just read and find out why**

**And BTW I dubbed thee Jack's little sister Emma.**

* * *

Thunder rumbled and lightning flashed in the night sky. Jack was sitting at the windowsill in the living room, watching the rain, when he heard a sniff from behind him. He turned around.

It was his little sister, Emma.

Jack bent down and picked her up, resting her on his knee.

He whispered in her ear, "It's okay, Emma. It's just a bit of lightning."

Emma rested her head on his brother's shoulder while she was slowly rocked back and forth. The little girl relaxed, closed her eyes, and drifted back to sleep.

Jack looked at his snoring parents. His mom was sleeping upright on her rocking chair and his father was on the couch, face down in a pillow.

The young boy smiled and put his little sister back to her bed.

Stretching, he walked back to the living room.

Suddenly, he stopped. A man stood in the middle of the dimly lit room. He was dressed in black and had a veil over his nose and mouth. In his hand, a knife gleamed in the firelight. Next to the man's feet were... were the bodies of his parents surrounded by a growing puddle of blood.

Jack turned around quickly and opened his mouth to scream, but the man got to him first. One hand was on his mouth and the other holding the knife up to his neck as a warning. Just as the man was about to slice Jack's throat, Jack drove his elbow into the stranger's ribs and somehow avoided the sharp blade of the knife.

Jack ran into his sister's room and locked the door. _He had to save his sister. _

He heard footsteps right outside and held his breath. The doorknob wriggled and he jumped with a start.

"This is what you get for being such a brat, Jack," the man sang, "I told you not to date my daughter."

Jack didn't answer. Hopefully that man would just go away.

"Jack?"

Jack turned around to see his sister. The older sibling mentally facepalmed. He put his finger up to his lips and motioned to the window. Quietly, he opened the window and lowered Emma down, who was still holding her teddy bear.

They were lucky that they only lived in a one floored small cottage, Jack thought, after he lowered himself down too. He estimated that if they ran fast enough, they should get to the nearest town within five to ten minutes. He mentally cursed his now dead father for building their house in the middle of the woods.

There was only one thing to do.

They ran.

* * *

**Tell me what you guys think.**

**who knows... might be a oneshot**


	2. Run, run, run

**Hiya!**

**School's almost over! I'm so excited! All I have to do is take my finals and then BAM! I'm done with school... until next year that is...**

**I want to thank _AyameKitsune_ and a _Guest_ for reviewing! Luv you!**

* * *

"Jack," Emma huffed, out of breath "I'm tired."

"I know, Em, we're almost there." Jack sighed, and kept running, dragging his sister behind him.

They narrowly avoided a tree and passed a large lake. The moon glowed on the water, as if encouraging them to run. On a normal day, when his parents were still alive, he would've thought the scenery was beautiful: the glowing water, the wind making soft ripples in the water, the reflection of the starry night sky...

But now was not the time to idle.

He could hear cruel laughter behind him. "You can run, Jack, but you can't hide! I'll find you. And you're little sister, too. You know I will."

"Jack..." Emma whined, too exhausted to say another word. She stumbled over a root and crashed to the ground. Her older brother skidded to a stop.

"Come on, Emma. I know you're tired, but we've gotta go," Jack scooped her up in his arms, knowing very well that they would now take a lot longer to reach Burgess with her slowing him down. "We're almost there."

She instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck, breathing hard in his ear.

The volume of the cruel laughter increased, coming closer every second.

Jack made the mistake of looking back and tripped head over heels. He curled himself up, protecting his sister from the impact and from any sharp twigs or rocks that littered the forest floor. Emma whimpered as a stray branch grazed her cheek, leaving a long, thin, white scrape. They stayed on the ground for a couple of seconds, winded.

Then, remembering the situation, the boy scrambled to his feet, still carrying his sister. He grunted as he felt pain flare in his left ankle. He struggled to blow Emma's hair away from his face as he tried to inspect his foot, but failed to succeed.

"Jack!" the man - no, _murderer_ - sang, "I know you're near. I can _smell your fear."_

Jack changed his mind. There was no time to inspect the damaged foot nor see if it was broken or not. They just needed to _run_!

Blood pounded in his ears and his heart beat was that of a rabbit's. His foot was screaming at him and his arms were shaking from the strain of carrying the extra weight.

Emma cried for their parents in his shoulder, soaking his shirt. "Mommy. I want my mommy." Though Jack was only half listening, he rubbed her back and whispered comforting phrases into her ear.

The siblings burst into a clearing, and straight ahead was the entrance of the town Burgess. Jack looked behind his shoulder before running past the entrance. It was night time and not many people were out. But as long as there were people - witnesses - they were safe.

* * *

_Fear._

Pitch sniffed the air.

_It smelled delicious._

It's source: somewhere above.

Who: A boy and his sister.

Why: Afraid for their lives. Wait, no. It seems that one of them - the boy - is afraid _for_ his sister. Interesting... selfless fear. Very rare. And very tasty. And very fun to play with.

How: Murder...

The Nightmare King chuckled. He wasn't the only one who could smell it. His nightmares could smell it too, their yellow eyes widening and their noses twitching. He stroked one of them as if it were his own child. It nuzzled his hand, affectionately. "Would you like to have some fun?"

The horse bobbed its head eagerly, nudging him in the process. Its eyes filled with endless hunger.

Pitch jumped aboard the horse. "Well, then let's go."

* * *

**I just wondering but would you guys want to see the Guardians in this story or would you want to see how Jack fends for himself? The poll should be on my profile. I'm going to close the poll near the end of June or sometime around there.**

**~PBR**


	3. Nightmare

**Hiya! **

**I want to thank Peaceful Dragon Rose, Simone35, AyameKitsune, and a Guest for reviewing. I love you guys!**

**Anyways...**

* * *

The minute Jack entered Burgess, he quickly found the nearest campfire, and plopped on a long log. People around him gave him glares and scooted far away from him.

He heard them sneer phrases like: "It's that annoying trickster." "Look, it's the nuisance." "Jack is such a pain in the neck."

Jack ignored them and focused on the sleeping bundle in his arms. Emma's red-rimmed eyes were tightly closed and there were tear tracks leading from her eyes down to her round chin. She sniffled and shivered in her sleep. Jack ruffled her brown hair then kissed her lightly on the head.

It was almost winter but the temperatures had already dropped down to point where you could see your breathe in puffs of white very clearly in the cool air. It was freezing! However, there was no time to grab a sweater or a coat. All they had was Jack's favorite cloak, which he wore almost everywhere. Thank God for that.

His eyes drifted the entrance to the town, warily. No one emerged from the woods and no one went in it. After all, who in their right of mind would go into the woods at night. That's just crazy.

Hearing Emma's soft snores, his own eyes started to close. As soon as they closed, they shot back open.

He _couldn't_ sleep, they _needed_ a safe place to hide and rest.

He smiled inwardly. Being a _trickster_, it was wise to know where to hide.

* * *

Pitch appeared in the small town Burgess. He followed that delicious smell of fear, avoiding the small crowds of people, to a boy and his little sister. They both had brown hair and were sleeping soundly. Though the fear wasn't as strong as when they were awake, it was no less appealing.

The girl had a warm cloak over her shoulders while the boy shivered. Pitch and his nightmare towered over them like hawks.

The nightmare sniffed hungrily at the children but didn't do anything without its master's consent.

The Nightmare King leaped to the ground and patted the horse's nose. "Patience, my young nightmare. If we play our cards right, we may just get something out of this." He kneeled down to the boy and girl. The girl had a golden sand dream above her head but there was no sand over the boy's head.

In the girl's dream, her older brother was teaching her how to ice-skate while their parents sat next to the frozen lake, smiling and holding each other. The brother held his sister's hand, guiding her across the ice. The sand girl laughed silently and twirled.

"Sandman," Pitch sneered, "You're always there to make fear disappear. My fear. Always giving good dreams to your silly _believers_... but not for long..."

He gently touched the ice below the two ice-skating, sand figures. The ice started to crack beneath them. The girl held onto her brother tightly. Their parents on the sidelines started to run the edge of the lake. Little did they know, they would be too late to do anything. The girl and boy shivered on the ice as the ice cracked even more.

Pitch rolled his eyes. "Let's hurry this up." He impatiently drove a pointed finger into the ice below, plunging the two sand children past the ice and into the freezing water below.

* * *

"Ahhhh!" Emma woke up screaming, the cloak falling off her shoulders and landing on a heap on the ground. She winced as she felt the biting cold bite her - like the cold from her nightmare.

_"Jack!" she cried. _

_"It's okay, Emma, everything's going to be okay," he replied, fear evident in his voice, before they plunged in to the freezing water._

Jack shot up after hearing the scream, immediately alert for the dark, veiled murderer.

**"Murder. So that's still going on. Huh," Pitch said, hiding in the shadows.**

The boy looked around, clutching his sister protectively. When he saw that the murderer wasn't there, he relaxed.

"What's wrong, Emma?"

"I had a nightmare!" she cried. "Wewereiceskatingandtheicecrackedandwefell-"

_She screamed, all her air floating in bubbles to the surface._

"Whoah there, slow down. I can't understand you."

She took a deep breath and started again. "We were ice skating *sniff* and our parents were next to the lake, watching *sniff* us. We were having fun then I *sniff sniff* I heard the ice cracked. And we... the ice…it broke… it was cold *sniff* and it was dark…" She stopped talking and hugged Jack even tighter.

He rubbed her back. "Don't worry, I'm here.

He heard a commotion outside the dark alley he hid in. He slowly put Emma down and laid his cloak back on her shoulders. "Stay here. I'll be right back."

Staying to the shadows, he peeked out. A man with a torch ran past him. Jack held back a gasp.

The man yelled, "The scream came from here!" More men followed him with torches, the sheriff and his crew were in front.

He watched as the older men ran past his hiding place. One of the slowed to a stop and peered into the darkness of the alley. Jack held his breath feeling the eyes roaming eyes skim past him.

The man shook his head. "I must be imagining things," he said, before joining the others.

Jack stayed there, checking his surroundings. No one was out there. But then why did he still feel eyes on him? He shook the feeling off. _He_ must be imagining things.

He wearily walked back to his little sister, his feet dragging across the ground. He plopped on the floor.

"Jack, what was it?" Emma asked.

"It was nothing, Emma. Don't worry, I'm here. Go back to sleep."

He hugged her back, sharing his body heat. She cuddled and curled into him. Jack was the first to fall asleep. Emma fell asleep only seconds after him. The last thing she saw was a shift in the shadows, but she passed it off and closed her eyes.

**Pitch emerged from the shadows. "Oh, dear Jack, you can't always be there for her." He stepped closer to the teenage boy. "I know your fear, my boy. Even though you try to appear strong, I can see right through your silly façade. There is nothing you can hide from me."**

Jack and Emma slept on...

* * *

**Well, whadya think? I skimmed/proofread this so there might be a loooooot of mistakes and stuff. So if you see anything wrong or think I need more detail, could you be a dear and point them out for me? Then I'll fix them.**

**Don't forget about my poll! Do you guys want to see the guardians or do you want to see how Jack fends for himself? Poll is on my profile. Vote!**

**Read and Review**

**~PBR**


	4. New Fearling

**Hiya!**

**Sorry for the delay. I've been really busy studying.**

**I want to thank leo silver, fluddershy, Snowflake, and a Guest for reviewing. Thank you!**

**Though, I would appreciate if guests assign themselves a name so I don't have to keep calling you "Guest"**

**:)**

**Read and Review**

* * *

Pitch emerged from the shadows. "Lair, sweet lair!"

His nightmares looked to him as he practically pranced to them. There was a giant grin on his face, like the grin of a boy who had just received a large swirly lollipop. "You wouldn't believe what I found," he sang, spinning from horse to horse.

The nightmares neighed impatiently. Sandy hooves stomped the ground and yellow eyes glowed dangerously bright.

The King of Fear stopped at one of his horses and looked it in the eye. "Would _you_ like to know what I found?" He didn't wait for a reply. His childish smile twisted into a sadistic smirk.

Pitch turned around to face the rest of the horses. He cackled, "What I found is selfless fear, the _strongest_ fear of all fears."

His evil grin widened as his audience cheered.

"With this last douse of fear, not even the _Guardians _will be able to defeat me! No more children walking through me-"

_Neigh!_

"No more hiding under beds-"

_Neigh!_

"People will fear me!"

Neigh!

"And I will be unstoppable,-"

_Neigh!_

"Unbeatable,-"

_Neigh_!"

"Invinci-" Pitch stopped abruptly, the crowd still cheering. He tilted his head upwards towards the surface as if listening for something. He held up a hand and the nightmares suddenly became as silent as the darkness they thrived in.

A soft grumbling sound echoed through the cave. Pitch took a step towards it.

_Snore-e-e-e!_

The dark spirit smiled. "Looks like somebody's asleep."

* * *

"Please! You _have _to believe me!"

"Very funny, Jack. Give me a reason why I should," the town sheriff said.

"Because it's TRUE! I'm not joking, Sherriff John. Thomas Green really _did_ kill my parents. Now he's after me and my sister. Please you _have _to help us." Jack looked straight into the older man's eyes and put both of his hands flat on the sheriff's desk. His eyes watered.

Sherriff John looked back. _Sigh. _"You expect me to believe that your girlfriend's father went crazy, killed your parents, and now wants to kill you for dating his daughter?"

"Well, yeah. You have to admit, the grumpy old fart has a loose screw somewhere in that little brain of his..." Immediately after the last words fell from his mouth, he mentally facepalmed. _Those probably weren't the right words to say._

...

...

The older man leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "You can't fool me. I'm wise enough to know when I'm being tricked.

"It's not a-"

"Now get out of here before I throw you in jail for interrupting the peace in this town." Despite the fact that he was sitting down, the older man towered over Jack, eyes narrowed.

"What? Interrupting the _peace? _That's crazy! There's a mad man out there-"

Sherriff John stood up, obviously annoyed. "Jackson Overland Frost, you are nothing but a trickster and a liar. Out of all your tricks, this one is the most ridiculous."

Jack opened his mouth to protest but the sheriff wasn't finished yet.

"You misbehave during festivals, you pull pranks on people, last year you tipped the Christmas tree so that it fell on a house-"

"That wasn't me!" The boy was ignored.

"-you break the rules, you disrespect your elders... Heck, I don't even know why your parents even kept you." The two males stared at each other. One pair of eyes were filled with annoyance and triumph while the other were filled with shock and doubt.

Jack's mouth hung open. He closed and opened it repeatedly but words wouldn't come out.

"Now," the sheriff slammed the table, "go take your tricks somewhere else."

The boy set his jaw and clenched his fists, "Fine, if you won't help me, I'll find someone else who will."

Sherriff John sneered. "Good luck with that," he said.

The only reply he got was the _slamming_ of the door.

* * *

**Meanwhile...**

"So you're the murderer I've been hearing about," Pitch said with glee.

Thomas Green, the sleeping man below him snored on. His hair was unkempt and his facial hair was filled with sticks and leaves. Heck, it could've been a bird's nest. Scratches covered his face and some blood seeped through them.

"I've heard a lot about you, Thomas," he continued, "Did you know the people in town think you're a crazy lunatic?" Though he received no answer, he kept talking, like a wolf spying on an unsuspecting prey, able to strike with quickness and ferocity at anytime.

"The children are afraid of you; and it's a miracle that the adults aren't. The children dream that you're a vampire and might one day come out to kill them. C_huckle._ Those sweet nightmares always make me laugh. There was this one girl who dreamt that you were a blood covered demon that dragged her down into the pits of hell. I had a field day with that nightmare. Do you want to know who dreamt that dream?"

Pitch received no reply.

"It was your daughter, Luna. It's such a shame her nightmares aren't as strong anymore ever since that stupid _Frost_ boy promised, _'It's okay, Luna, I won't let your father hurt you_.'" Pitch mocked Jack Frost with a sneer. "If it wasn't for him, I would've already been the most powerful spirit of all."

He stopped, as if realizing something. "But you don't like that boy either, do you? You want him dead." He kneeled down to the old man and touched his cheek, nightmare sand moving from his hand into one of the largest cuts.

The man fidgeted in his sleep but didn't wake. The nightmare sand could been seen spreading through the body in dark lumps, like ink. He whimpered.

"Don't fret," the spirit soothed, still pumping sand into the cuts, "With time, we both will get what we want." More nightmare sand entered the body. Pitch withdrew his hand when he began to feel weak. When he turned something into a fearling, he had to use up a lot of precious nightmare sand. But he had a feeling that this was worth it.

Within several seconds, the veins turned black. And within several minutes the skin turned gray.

Feeling woozy, Pitch stood up. "Rest now while I go and spread more fear."

* * *

Jack walked back to his hiding place, making sure nobody followed him. He hated stealing, but all of his money was back at his house in the middle of the woods.

"Hey, Emma, I got you some food." He held out a chicken leg.

Emma made no move to grab it. "You didn't steal it did you?"

"What? Of course not," he lied, shoving the food at her.

She looked at him with doubt but the sweet aroma was too much and her stomach growled from not eating all day. She cautiously grabbed the leg and took a bite. "Hmmm..." Her stomach growled in delight.

They sat there.

Jack looked over at his sister. She stared at her food, her eyes distanced and lost in thought. "Hey, Em," he said. When she didn't respond, he tried again. "Hello? Em? Anyone home?" He nudged her and waved a hand in front of her face.

Finally, the little girl seemed to awake. "Huh? What happened?"

Her brother's eyebrows furrowed. "You spaced out there for a second. What are you thinking about?"

"Oh, nothing. Just the usual girl stuff."

"Are you sure?" Jack persisted. "You can tell me anything, ya know."

"Seriously, it's nothing."

"Hmmm... okaaaay then..."

They continued to eat in silence.

Emma fidgeted. She snuggled closer to the older boy. He, in turn, snuggled her back, sharing his body heat. Pressing her ear against his chest, she listened to the soft _thump_ of his heart. She didn't know what she would do without it. "Jack?"

"Yes, Emma?" Jack replied.

"Do you think Crazy Man Thomas is going to get us?"

Jack fumbled and almost dropped his chicken . "What?"

"Do you think Crazy Old Man Thomas is going to get us?"

"Of course not. Rest assured, that crazy fart isn't going to get us. Do you want to know why?"

"Why?"

"Because that Crazy-Old-Fart farts a lot."

* * *

**You might be wondering why I've been focusing most of the attention on Pitch and his weirdly happy demeanor... **

**The answer is...I have no idea... :)**

**Don't worry, the Guardians are coming soon!**

**Reviews make me happy! :)**


	5. Ring Around The Roses

**Hiya!**

**I want to thank a Guest and Leo Silver for reviewing! You're both AWESOME!**

**First: I've decided to put a poll on my profile for what guardian you guys want to see first. :)**

**Second: I'm suuuuuuper sorry for not updating in like months. :'( Life's been a bit hectic for me lately...**

**Third: ... read and review :)**

* * *

Pitch's new fearling stumbled down the road. He was wearing a hood and a cloak that covered his amber eyes and hid his black veins. His cuts had mostly healed and left dark black scars, which contrasted very clearly against his pale, graying skin.

No one paid him any heed as he staggered to his house. No one paid him any heed when his footprints left bits of ebony sand in his path. And no one paid him any heed when he pushed open the door and slammed it behind him.

Inside, scattered carelessly across the floor, were puddles of beer from various days ago. Most had evaporated and the rest had soaked into the wooden floor, bound to leave a stain.

"Stupid girl," he muttered under his breath. He picked up a glass object from the window sill and dropped it on the floor. He raised his foot and slammed it down on the glass figurine Jack had bought for his daughter only months ago, sending flying glass in all directions. He opened his mouth and shouted, "Luna! Get over here, you ugly brat!" His voice sounded hoarse yet his throat felt fine. In fact, he felt better than ever.

His daughter sighed as she rounded the corner. "Yes?"

"Yes, what..." He growled, turning his back to her as if she were a dirty piece of trash.

"Yes...father." She spat the last word like it was acid. Her eyes bore daggers into her father's back.

He ordered, "Clean this mess up."

"Yes, father." Luna knelt down and picked up the shards of glass carefully with a thick cloth. Later, if her father let her take a break from her endless amount of chores, she would try and piece back the once beautiful glass dolphin. That gift was precious to her; it marked the beginning of her and Jack's relationship as boyfriend and girlfriend. She glanced at the window. Jack had said in his letter that he was going to stop by with his little sister later that day. Luna was filled with excitement. She looked back at her father just as he took off his hood and turned around to face her.

It was at that moment when she saw his dark veined skin and those peircing yellow eyes - wait, _yellow_ eyes? What kind of human being has _yellow eyes?_ His nails were black and long like a wolf's. The cuts on his face oozed, not blood, but black sand. He looked like a _demon, _the same demon she saw from her nightmare the night before. She jumped back, crashing into the table, and landing on her bottom, too shocked and frightened to say anything.

She radiated _fear_.

The fearling, sensing this wonderful change, practically jumped on her. One gray arm pinned her shoulders to the ground while the other covered her mouth. She gave a muffled scream of surprise and struggled to get free. He shoved his knee into her stomach and a sickening crack echoed around the room.

_"Mmmph!"_

His amber eyes watched her squirm helplessly under him. Her fear was intoxicating. He carefully wiped a tear off her cheek.

"You're a beautiful girl, Luna. You're lucky to have a father like me."

She tried to protest, to shout an insult at him, but he bore his knee further into her ribs.

She whimpered.

He continued. "However, if you had listened to me in the first place and ditched that stupid Frost boy, I wouldn't have had to murder his family."

Her eyes widened. Her fear grew at a fast pace. If it kept going at this rate, he would lose the little control he had.

"Unfortunately, that stupid boy and his sister escaped."

She felt a bit of relieved at that statement. But that feeling quickly disappeared when she saw his irises swirl.

"Of course, though, you're never going to see him again. I _forbid _it."

He winced. The fear was so... stimulating. He had to have it.

"You smell delicious, Pippa. I just want to Gobble. You. Up." His lips parted to reveal blackened, razor-sharp teeth.

* * *

Jack and Emma walked down the dirt road. It was only as they walked past the flower shop did Jack notice the frown on his sister's face. He knelt down to her height and put both hands on her shoulder.

"Why the long face, little rabbit?"

She perked slightly at her nickname. Jack had called her that when she was little because of her habit of wriggling her nose. The last time he called her that was a several years ago, when their parents were still alive.

Jack already had a good idea of why she was sad. "Come on, let's turn that frown upside down." He went back to the flower shop around the corner and traded a coin for a lovely white rose. Roses were long out of season but the shopkeeper was good at preserving flowers so they lasted longer.

The teenager ran back and held the flower below Emma's nose, tickling her.

"Ring around the roses," he sang.

Emma rolled her eyes.

"A pocket full of posies.

"Ashes, ashes.

"We all fall down." On the word "down," he belly flopped onto the ground in the most ridiculous way possible.

Emma giggled and began to sing along with him.

_Ring around the roses,_

Jack spun her around.

_A pocket full of posies. _

He lifted her up onto his shoulders and ran down the road, ignoring the looks of other people.

_Ashes, ashes._

He took her off his shoulders and spun her.

_We all fall down._

He dropped to the ground as his sister jumped on top of him.

They laid there, laughing until Jack got up and leaned on his elbows. "Ready for Round two?" He didn't wait for a reply.

_Ring around the roses,_

_A pocket full of posies,_

_Ashes, ashes,_

_We all fall down._

_..._

_Ring around the roses,_

_A pocket full of posies,_

_Ashes, ashes,_

_We all fall down._

The duo skipped down the street singing, only one of them knowing what the song actually meant.

* * *

**After rereading this, it sounds really choppy to me... I'll probably have to fix it...**

**Review!**

**~PBR**


	6. Guilt

**Hiya!**

**I want to thank sherlockian for reviewing! Luv u!**

**Though, I wish you guys would review more...**

**Sorry for posting a short chapter but the next chapter is going to have a guardian in it. It's up to you guys who you want to see. Poll on my profile. I won't update till you vote...**

**...**

* * *

Finally, they were only two more blocks away from Luna's - and _Thomas Green's_, Jack thought bitterly - house on the other side of town. Jack walked down the path with Emma trailing behind him, humming. After his parents death, his mission was to run away from Burgess with Emma and Luna. The town was no longer safe for him or Emma, and Jack didn't want Luna to live with a psychopath murderer. He had asked her to run away and live with him and his family in the woods but she had always refused. This time, he wasn't going to take no for an answer.

He rounded the corner and froze, causing Emma to bump into him.

"Hey!" she squealed. "Why'd you-"

"Shhh." he whispered. When she gave him a puzzled look, he elaborated. "Let's play the quiet game now, ok?"

She crossed her arms with a huff. "But that's boring."

He raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Does that mean I win?"

She smirked back. "No way. I betcha I can stay silent the longest."

"You're on, little rabbit." He winked. "Three- two-one. Let the game begin!"

While his sister concentrated on being silent, which was hard for her considering that she loves to talk, Jack peeked around the corner.

Thomas Green had his cloak and hood on. Something seemed different about him but Jack couldn't put his finger on it.

The murderer glanced to where Jack was hiding. The boy ducked behind the corner. He could feel Thomas's eyes lingering on their hiding place. After a couple seconds, Thomas hurriedly walked away, disappearing into the crowd.

When Jack deemed it safe to come out, he gave Emma a look saying, _I'll race you to the house._

Of course, the little girl sped off. And of course, Jack let her win.

She didn't notice his change in attitude or the sweat dripping off his eyebrow.

She paused at the door, waiting for Jack to take out the spare key Luna gave to him. He hesitated for a second before shoving the key into the lock. There was a small voice in his head telling him to turn around and run for there was something dreadful behind the door.

He shook off the feeling and stepped inside. The minute he cracked the door open, a strong coppery smell hit him like a battering ram. He stumbled back a step, the warning bells in his head ringing like crazy.

He held his hand out, gesturing for Emma to stay put.

He stepped inside the house and closed the door behind him so his sister wouldn't peak.

Besides him, there was no one else in the room. Just him, some broken glass, and puddles of beer.

But that wasn't the worst thing.

The worst and most horrifying thing was his girlfriend's head mounted on a stick, her eyes looking distantly towards the window. Her eyes were bloodshot and had sunken into her head. The veins in her neck hung loosely around the stick, dripping drops of redness. Her hair used to be a beautiful, light blond but now it was dyed a dark, raspberry red.

Written in blood on the wall behind her was a single message that contained a single word in huge, messy letters.

_Jack _

His stomach threatened to empty itself on the beer-soaked floor beneath him. He tried to look away but he just couldn't.

He should've taken his girlfriend away the last time he met her. Then maybe _this_ wouldn't have happened.

Then it struck him like a lightening bolt. _It was his fault._ The sherrif was right. The villagers were right. Even the priest was right. _He always made a mess of things. _

If he hadn't been a trickster...

If he hadn't met Luna...

If he hadn't been so stupid...

If...

If...

Everyone told him to stop being such a fool but he didn't listen. Look where that led him...

An image flashed through his mind. _His sister._

His sister was the only person he had left. He wouldn't let anything touch her. He'd protect her with his life. And that meant she couldn't know about _this._

He stumbled and fumbled for the doorknob before running outside, dragging a small, confused girl behind him.

* * *

**I apologize again for writing such a short chapter...**

**I won't update until you guys vote on my poll...**

**Review! (hint hint)**

**~PBR**


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